Awakening
by camteaa
Summary: How far into darkness would you go to reach someone you love? Fading light, like a star whose life has be gone for years. The conclusion for the Angel of Mine series...Hinata. Itachi. Neji. Sasuke. Hell hath no fury.
1. Bolt

SweetStealer: Wow! I finally started something I might just be able to finish!

Deidara: Oh really, un?

Sasori: I find that highly unlikely.

Hinata: Gambatte!

Disclaimer: Well then. I don't own Naruto. If I did, this idea would DEFFINITELY have taken place. Hinata needs way more chances to kick some serious ass. Humph. She needs more screen time, DAMMIT!

Notes:// I hope to have this finished before next summer, but knowing me, I prolly won't. Updates for this will happen every week, or at least every other week, probably on a Friday. My muse finally decided to come back so I know what I need to do for this fic. I hope I can keep everyone in some sort of character, preferably the ones they already are. -sweatdrop- As always, reviews are AWESOME.

.:Awakening:.

-------

.Chapter 1.

Sasuke Uchiha was brooding. It was deep into a stormy night and the boy was awake, thinking darkly of what kind of possibilities lay ahead of him. His black eyes were beginning to shut slyly, tricking him into a nightmarish sleep. Dark rings of memory circled under his eyes, which glared at the pictures laid out in front of him. Arrogant and prideful, Sasuke was beginning to hate those frozen moments in time that were captured on the wall.

_Hate me, foolish boy._

Lightning flashed against the sky and rain pelted down on the windowpanes, making them rattle in resistance to the hard water droplets. Now Sasuke, though overcome with angst and a sullen behavior, was still pushing the limits of ingenuity into genius.

Planning. The boy was planning something. He strived to fight his weaker feelings of happiness...love...and most of all, sadness. There had always been a lonely feeling...a silent hurt that would not heal. So the only thing to do was ignore it. Push it back. This made way for anger, gall, and quite a pissed off attitude.

_Anger feeds you..._

"Stupid people." he muttered into the erratic darkness.

A solitary candle was situated in front of him, burning bright, though it flickered in the stormy June wind. It cast silhouettes that whispered to him in the eerie room. A dark shadow rested on his face, hiding behind black hair and piercing ebony eyes rimmed with red: the trait of a Sharingan user. It had been troublesome, but he had finally reached another level, increasing his eyesight and technique. Sasuke had to work a long time to achieve this small goal.

Oh, but the portraits were causing him more trouble then the Sharingan had ever caused him. His mother's deep brown eyes were gazing at him with such affection and love that he always turned away in a split second. His father's haughty features showed him smirking with pride, a hand resting on his wife's shoulder.

And there was the matter of a certain older brother.

"Bastard." Sasuke hissed, causing the candle to flicker ominously.

The cold, empty eyes of Itachi seemed to stare at him with such intensity that Sasuke felt as if he was really there with him in the room, watching and mocking his attempts to catch him.

It had been about six months since the little 'incident' with a certain Hinata Hyuuga. Damn her for dying! Stupid girl, running off with reckless people like the Akatsuki.

_Reckless? They aren't reckless...they're amazing._

"Like hell they are," Sasuke snapped to the voice in his mind.

The teenager unconsciously thought of the girl. She had always been small and weak in his eyes. Anyone...everyone...was starting to look weak to him. His haughty nature made him get caught up in people's mistakes, not their strong points. Of course, he didn't know that.

"Hn..."

So Sasuke pondered through the night, avoiding gazes of guilt, love and mockery from the pictures. He could just leave, but this was, after all, a very important room of the house. It smelled just like his mother, and the air was still curiously charged with his father's commanding presence.

Finally, the boy picked up the candle, and stood up. With one sharp puff, he blew out the light and stood there, holding the wax candle in the dark. He looked at the pictures that were being slightly obscured by the rising smoke. His dark gaze shifted to the floor, as he realized what he needed to do.

The moon cast light on where he was standing. Said important room was now almost bathed in the milky light, showing a pained look on Sasuke's face as he looked at the ground. The rain had been put on pause, but not for long. The crash of thunder shrieked through the air and the rain began to fall all over again, this time with a harder resolve.

"I don't think I'll wash them off." he muttered bitterly.

The boy promptly turned and exited the room, deciding he had more important things to look at and see to. He threw the candle to one side as he closed the door. It rolled around and settled to a stop in the middle of the room, where a large, dark crimson mark had permanently seeped through the floor.

His father and mother's blood was still there, staining the house with its metallic color.

Sasuke decided he would wash it off when he killed Itachi.

Right now, he had to prepare.

----

Neji Hyuuga looked out of his bedroom window with a nonplussed look on his pale face. Ivory eyes surveyed the surroundings of the Hyuuga mansion, settling on the rooftops of far away houses. Sharp lightning cracked the pitch black sky, as gray clouds rolled overhead, sending torrents of icy rain onto the houses.

The boy sighed, leaning against the windowsill, thinking. His mind wandered through what he had to do later that day, what he could afford to put off... Hinata. Resting his head on his folded arms, he thought long and hard about his little cousin. She always crept into his mind like a drug: controlling and obsessive.

He had never told anyone that she was still alive. He had never mentioned her in front of anyone for half a year. He couldn't even bear to stay in a conversation when the topic suddenly turned to her. It was hard to know that everyone thought she was buried on the hill, between two Hyuugas who probably didn't even know she existed, or knew her, and chose to ignore her.

Ignorance is not always bliss.

For the Hyuuga prodigy, he sometimes wished he never found out the Hinata was still alive...He always wondered what his little cousin was doing now...it would be her birthday in a few weeks...

Neji would never admit it, but deep inside, he missed her.

Anger bubbled up inside as he thought of how rejection and anger caused people to do stupid things.

People are dense.

Neji mused for a while longer. Thunder rolled over the sky, following the golden flashes of light. Rain was pouring down much harder now, and the thunder sounded more often. Konoha was probably right in the middle of the storm.

The Hyuuga genius blinked, then bolted straight up. Were his eyes playing tricks on him? The famous Hyuuga eyes? No. He was sure...but it was gone now...

"Byakugan." Neji murmured.

Chakra shot to his eyes and he scanned the area with more intensity.

Ah.

He was right, of course. He knew it.

Neji smirked and turned, grabbing his usual bag of ninja tools before hurriedly exiting the room. He kept his eyes on his target, as he hurried down the halls of the mansion with the stealth of a cat. He cast a look to Hinata's old bedroom, but remained focused. Vaulting onto the roof, he sprinted onto the other shingled tops, silently chasing a shadow.

"We have a runaway..."

---

There was a spattering of mud and water as Sasuke landed onto the softened earth. He grunted as the shock of the jump raced through his muscles. It was raining harder then ever. He looked up, weary, wondering if he made the right decision to leave that night.

It was a November rain afterall, and there was no use catching a cold, right? Sasuke shrugged his pack over his shoulder and was about to take off when-

"Uchiha."

The boy turned to face his meddler.

"Hyuuga." Sasuke glared as he spat the name out.

Neji was soaking wet from head to toe, rain dripping into his eyes from stray pieces of hair that had worked their way out of his hairtie. His white eyes flashed in realization as he took in the situation.

"I cannot allow you to leave!" Neji shouted above the wind.

"Do you think I give a damn?!" Sasuke yelled back, sweeping his black bangs out of his eyes.

Neji glared into Sasuke's twin Sharingans and he activated his Byakugan. Sasuke narrowed his red eyes and put his pack on fully. The two geniuses faced each other, looking at each other, furiously, from their distance. The wind howled as a warning.

It was interesting, seeing the two normally silent boys, shouting at each other at the top of their lungs. Hatred burned off of their bodies, making them temporarily forget about the chilling rain.

"I'm not Hinata, Neji. I think I'll be able to survive on my own," Sasuke laughed harshly. "Besides, I'm not weak."

"She wasn't weak, you bastard!" Neji fumed, clenching his fists, his memory flashing back to his cousin.

"I know that she died!" Sasuke bellowed, charging the air with hate.

"YOU KNOW NOTHING!" Neji shouted, furiously, his eyes glistening with angry tears that dripped onto the ground.

The two rushed at each other, hearts pounding, with every intention to kill.

---

In the silence of the Akatsuki lair, Hinata awoke, her breathing ragged and her heart thudding dully against her chest. The silver of a knife gleamed in the darkened room, the only light being the moon. The girl hastily took in her surroundings. Kisame was snoring in his corner, while Itachi slept motionless on the floor, his arms folded, with one hand clutching three shuriken between his fingers.

The girl sighed and shivered. It was getting colder. Winter was approaching, and fast. Missions were done very quickly now, as everyone had wanted to get back to the warmth of the lair.

Hinata put down the knife she had instinctively drawn out and tucked it back into its sheath. As she re-arranged the blankets on her bed, she tried to remember what had made her get up in the first place.

Ah, yes. It was a dream.

Suddenly, she felt a warm hand on her shoulder and she twisted around to face Itachi's weary face. His look was a soft one of indifference and his black eyes stared into her opposite cream ones. The shuriken were still lodged in his fingers. His hand drifted off her shoulder.

"What is it?" he asked, his tone having a slight edge, ready for an attack.

"N-nothing." she whispered, looking at the ceiling, and sighing.

Itachi nodded and got back onto his futon and rolled over. Hinata glanced at Kisame and vaguely thought that he could sleep through a hurricane and not wake up. He had proved it by sleeping through one of Deidara's explosions. Three times. She let herself smile a bit before turning back to the matter at hand.

Dreaming...

As she climbed back into her bed of thin sheets and pillows that was less then comfortable, she closed her eyes. It was a rare occasion for her to remember the places she had been, but like always, they came back to haunt her...as if they had sewn themselves in her mind, stitching her feelings and thoughts in the seams.

"What are you doing now...Nii-san?" she whispered to the darkness.

Snuggling into her cold bed, she let her mind take flight on the wings of nightmares.

---

Through the rain, Neji grit his teeth as sweat mixed with dirt and blood as he and Sasuke dashed through the trees that were slick with rain. The icy drops of water slipped into his burning eyes that pulsed with chakra, trying to focus on his target: the arrogant Uchiha. Sasuke, filling with the tiniest bit of dread, looked hastily back at Neji, wondering how to shake him.

Both boys were the top in their year, prodigies if you could say that.

Sasuke scowled as he stopped and faced Neji, who glared hatefully at him. Suddenly, overcome with a feeling of frustrated rage, Sasuke shouted hoarsly over the wind,

"WHAT WILL IT TAKE, HYUUGA?! What will it take for you to leave me alone?!"

Neji, narrowing his eyes dangerously, bit his lip and retorted,

"Nothing. I can't let you leave!"

Sasuke, angered, slammed his fist into the tree, sending splinters of wood and drops of water flying into the air. The tension steadily grew between them.

"Why...WHY can't you understand...I need to find him...I need to kill him!"

Furious, Neji tried to reason in the calmest voice he could, despite the chilling winds and the freezing rain.

"There are other ways! Ways that don't include deserting your village!" Neji attempted, feeling blood from his lip trickled down his chin.

"But what would you know?" Sasuke scoffed, hate filling his voice. "You don't know what it's like to have your whole Clan wiped out by someone you once respected!"

"AND WHAT DO YOU KNOW?!" Neji shouted, enraged. "My father sacrificed himself willingly to help save our Clan. I grew up and almost killed my own cousin because of it! Hate destroys you!"

"WHAT ARE YOU? A FUCKING PROPHET?!" Sasuke shrieked. "THAT WAS YOUR OWN FAULT! YOU NEEDED TO FIND OUT THE TRUTH BEFORE YOU HURT HER!"

Suddenly, it hit Neji.

Thunder and lightening cracked against the sky as he stood, motionless, on his tree branch, letting the wind whip his hair around violently. The rain dripped down his face, as he looked at Sasuke in a new light, as he tried to understand.

The younger glared, though curious. Had his words reached Neji at last? He watched as the long haired Hyuuga looked up, his eyes flashing with pain, anger and sadness. Sasuke's own tinted red eyes gleamed at this, interested. Neji finally spoke.

"I'm going with you."

---

Sakura stirred in her sleep, trying to adjust to the new sunlight that was entering into her room. She opened her emerald eyes groggily, and shielded them. She could hear the rain from last night's storm drip onto her windowsill, and then run off onto the busy street below.

"Sakura, are you up?" her mother called, wearily from behind the closed door.

"Just a minute." Sakura called, groaning in response.

She pulled herself out of bed, before opening the window and letting in the sun. As she got changed, her mind was turning slowly, running over all the things that she had to do that day.

Truth be told, she didn't get to see her teammates that much anymore. Naruto was always being taught by some perverted hermit called Jiraiya who was supposedly a Sannin. Sasuke had been specially training under Kakashi, in ways of the Sharingan. She, herself, was still under Tsunade.

Still, reviving fish wasn't what she wanted to do forever.

Sighing at the fact she was still a novice, Sakura opened her bedroom door and decide to skip breakfast that day. Maybe she could convince Naruto and Sasuke to eat out this morning...maybe catch up a little bit.

'I would even like ramen for breakfast...' she smiled at this thought, as her mind flashed to the hyperactive blonde.

The pinkette stepped out of her house, after saying a hasty good bye, and sprinted to Sasuke's complex, her face flushed with happiness.

Suddenly, as she approached the old Uchiha complex, she saw a glint of orange and metal walking out of the doorway. Surprised, she called out frantically,

"NARUTO!"

The fox-boy looked up suddenly, noticing her, clutching something tightly in his fist. Sakura stopped and stared at Naruto, as he shortened the distance between them. The first thing she noticed was that his eyes were clouded over in pain.

"What is it?" she whispered as he stopped, his teeth grit.

He raised his crystal blue eyes and handed her the paper without a word. Then, giving her a sad glance, he took off before she could say anything to him. All hopes of a team breakfast were gone.

There was a chill in her heart, dreading what was on the paper. Slowly, in what felt like an eternity, she looked down. On the yellowing paper was one hastily scrawled word, in Sasuke's steady handwriting.

_Goodbye_.

---------

Love.

Please review!

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	2. Eclipsed Agony

SweetStealer: Onward to Chapter 2! Thanks for all the support guys!

Kisame: What support, un?

Hinata: She gets lots of it from me, fish-boy.

Disclaimer: I don't own Naruto. All characters used in this fic are from the creative (and much coveted) imagination of Masashi Kishimoto. Blah. I wish I had his imagination...

Notes://This takes place half a year after Hinata makes her second escape and nearly dies in Konoha. I got the title from listening to the song 'Awakening' by Mae. It's very beautiful, and almost brought me to tears. Yeah, I'm a little bit of a sap. Ha ha. Enjoy!

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.Chapter 2.

TenTen's eyes welled up in tears as Gai bluntly told her and Lee the news. Lee stood, stock still, as his brow furrowed in anger and he bit his lip until it began to bleed. He held TenTen as she shivered and sobs racked her body. He suddenly felt cold.

"Was he...unhappy with us?" Lee questioned, softly.

Gai's own brow creased with worry, not anger. Lee had always regarded Neji as his greatest rival, and the step that Neji had taken had caught them all unawares.

"No Lee. I think he was unhappy with himself. He feels guilty about Hinata. He may be still be in denial. Neji might think she's still alive." Gai reasoned, almost talking to himself.

"A-And Sasuke-kun?" TenTen hiccuped, feeling the warmth of Lee's arm around her shoulders.

There was a silence.

"He's an avenger. He'll do as he sees fit." Lee whispered, looking at the ground, tears beginning to drip out of his own eyes.

Gai, a little touched at how his two loyal students were taking the news, rested a steady hand on Lee's shoulder. TenTen gave a long tired sigh, as the last of her liquid pain leaked down her pink cheeks. Lee was shaking in anger.

"Lee..." Gai began seriously, but drifted off.

The Green Beast of Konoha raised his head before crying out,

"How many more, Gai-sensei?! How many more...?"

TenTen looked up abruptly, as Lee's almost possessive grasp tightened on her shoulder. Gai stood, rigid, as Lee's words reached him. His favorite pupil was staring up at him, his eyes burning with a sadness and hurt that seemed to be unrivaled.

"How many more will we _lose_?" Lee murmured, wiping away his tears hurriedly.

TenTen waited, her breath baited. Gai gave Lee a pitying look before looking out over their old training grounds with a far away look on his face, contemplating his answer.

"I don't know...I honestly don't know."

---

Hanabi burst through doors, her breathing ragged and sharp. Panting, she looked in hastily, and then ran off to the next room, not even bothering to close the door she had just opened.

Her face held a panicked look. Icy cold shivers ran up and down her spine, sending her into deep worry. The Byakugan was pulsing with chakra and her lip was quivering with fear. Racing through the halls, opening doors...she was searching for someone.

_Where are they?_

Where was anyone? The Hyuuga complex was strangely silent. No one was moving, no one was talking...it was all silent. Hanabi had woken up to silence. It was painful.

"Where are you?!"

_Nee-chan._

_Neji-nii san._

"WHERE ARE YOU?!" she shrieked, open another door, only to find it empty like the others.

She listened to her heart, beating as if it would burst any second. Her hands clenched themselves into fists, as she felt the humiliating tears of loneliness run down her face. She grunted as she heaved open another door, finding it empty again.

Hanabi gave a wail of despair as she kept on searching for the ghosts of people who weren't there. Her black hair wound around her neck and face, the cold November air biting at her cheeks flushed in anger.

"No...no..." she whimpered as her small hands grasped the door handle and turning it.

Nothing.

_They aren't here...they aren't anywhere!_

Finally, sinking down onto the cold wooden floorboards, Hanabi began to cry. Hot, ugly tears of hate and fear rolled down her face, making her even more angry at herself. Hyuugas hardly cry.

"WHY?! P-Please..." she choked on her words. "Please don't leave me here..."

Her sobs echoed through the compounds, and what made her feel even worse was the fact no one came to comfort her. She felt so alone...so _**abandoned**_.

"Where did you go?! Take me with you..." she whispered to the cold silence.

The last of the colorful leaves started to fall in the Hyuuga courtyard. The brown dead leaves covered the mansion as the chilly morning ticked on through time. Yet, it seem to Hanabi that she was the one frozen in the same place and that she'd remain there forever.

"Don't leave me..."

---

Sasori stood impassively, watching Hinata spar against Deidara. He stood, unmoving, next to Itachi, whose eyes roamed the battle, predicting moves and silently grading his student.

"She's moving faster." Sasori noted, in a rather dull voice.

Itachi gave a 'hn' of indifference as he watched the indigo haired girl skid back and made ready to charge again at Deidara who had surprised her by planting a tiny clay insect on her shoulder. Hinata wiped blood and sweat away with the back of her hand, breathing heavily as Deidara swallowed more clay with his hands.

Blood stained the earthy training grounds. Cracks of light forced their way in from holes in the ceiling made by previous, more intense training. The air was stuffy and smelled damp an used. Itachi folded his arms and Sasori glanced at him. There was a glint in his black eyes. Sasori knew that look was never good.

"Hinata. That's enough." he said, listlessly.

The girl looked up, and her heart shaped face showed several nasty cuts and a long red scratch along her cheek. Her Byakugan burned with intensity, and she withdrew it in favor of the Sharingan. Her frosty eyes turned scarlet with anger and Itachi could feel her resistance to shout at him.

"Hai." she whispered and began to walk over to him.

"Aww...I was just about to have some fun, un!" Deidara frowned, a little miffed.

"Come on, let's go before Tobi shows up." Sasori muttered, beckoning for Deidara to follow.

"Fine, un."

Just as Hinata was two steps away from Itachi, a sharp, stabbing pain streaked across her head, making her wince. It last a few seconds then faded dully, and Itachi, not turning around, sensed something was wrong.

"What?" he asked, sighing.

"It's nothing." she whispered, and withdrew the Sharingan too.

Her eyes faded to a creamy white and Itachi turned and walked out with her scurrying behind him, shivering with apprehension. Clenching her hands into fists, she bit back a cry of pain as another flash echoed in her head.

"Itai..." she hissed, shutting her eyes tightly, willing it to go away again.

This time, Itachi turned, and watched as Hinata unclenched her fists and staggered the rest to the way to him, shielding her eyes. Deidara and Sasori also turned, interested.

"What's wrong with you, un?" Deidara asked, raising and eyebrow.

"N-nothing!" Hinata snapped, as another streak of pain echoed in her temple.

"...Get some sleep." Itachi said, finally.

Hinata looked up, furiously. Itachi never told her to sleep unless he wanted to get rid of her or if it really was time for sleep. She knew that he only wanted to ditch her.

"I said, I'm fine." Hinata said through grit teeth.

"Go, Hinata." Itachi said, sharply.

A little humiliated, Hinata stormed off to their room, slamming the door behind her. Itachi's eyes narrowed a fraction and Sasori shot him a look. Deidara crossed his arms and said quickly,

"I'll be in the kitchen."

The weasel and the scorpion said nothing in response, causing Deidara to pull a Hinata and slam the door more violently then the girl. The silence in the room was heavy and still.

"What is it?" Sasori asked finally.

Itachi said nothing, but glared, and walked over to the door and began to walk out. Sasori, more then a little pissed at his comrade's icy behavior, shouted,

"Itachi!"

The boy murderer turned, and then whispered,

"She may be going blind."

---

It was cold in late November. The trees were already brown. The color had fled from the leaves and everything was almost, or already, dead. The fire the two stoic teens had lit did nothing to ease the coolness of the autumn morning. With two navy blankets wrapped around them both, they sat in silence, their concentration erratic.

Sasuke eyed the Hyuuga next to him curiously. Neji was busy checking a map that was conveniently located in his weapon's pouch. Sasuke, a little pissed at the amount of silence, asked the burning question that kept racing through his mind.

"Why?" he asked, looking away, "Why did you come with me?"

Neji looked up, his white opal eyes staring off into the distance. Neji was getting harder to read.

"She's alive." he said, dully, folding up the map and tossing it in with the two knapsacks and a hastily folded green blanket.

Sasuke did a double take. He blinked, then lowered his black eyes to the metal canteen in his lap. Neji looked at him, and folded his arms. Sasuke raised his eyes and then snapped,

"Are you sure? You aren't just being delusional are you?"

Instead of taking offense to the blunt comment, Neji replied simply,

"I'm sure."

"How?" Sasuke's eyes narrowed.

"I saw her body turn to wood and burst into flames. She had been replaced. She had left a note for me." Neji added, almost as an afterthought.

"What did it say?"

Silently, Neji went into a pocket inside his shirt and drew out a piece of yellowing paper. It was her letter to him, the one in the coffin that supposedly housed her 'body'. Sasuke hesitantly took the piece of paper and read it through, his eyebrows raising ever so slightly.

Suddenly, there was a snapping of tree branches that made them both look up. The sunlight broke through the dying leaves and there was a gust of icy wind. Sasuke tossed Neji the note back and had a slight feeling of paranoia. Neji activated his Byakugan.

"It's nothing." the Hyuuga replied to the unstated question.

"Sure." Sasuke said, in an off hand way.

"We need to move. Where do you think the Akatsuki hideout is?" Neji asked, placing the kunai he had taken out in his lap.

Sasuke, still looking around, replied,

"Who said we're going there first?"

Neji flashed him a glare. Sasuke rolled his eyes, and put his blanket away .

"What do you mean?"

Sasuke finally looked at him with a skeptical stare and said,

"Do really think we can take on the whole Akatsuki by ourselves? We need more supplies...and possibly more people."

The Hyuuga prodigy narrowed his ivory eyes and hissed,

"We better not take too long then. It'll be winter soon."

Sasuke nodded. The black haired need stretched, got up, and grabbed his backpack. Neji followed suit. The two dashed back into the bare trees and ran north.

What Neji didn't know was that the place where Sasuke decided to pick up the supplies and people.

Orochimaru.

---

Sweets: Too short?

Hinata: Just right!

Deidara: I should've had a bigger part, un!

Hidan: I wasn't in it at all, bitch! C'mon put me in there!

Sweets: Chill. You'll be in the next chapter. At the very beginning!

Reviews are nice.

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